Recommendations

Gus Gus moves to the Kompakt camp with their latest, 24/7, but if anything, it almost feels like a return to their earliest album, POLYESTERDAY. The extended grooves are back (this time with more minimal techno than trip-hop), but this won't come as a surprise to those who follow Gus Gus' remixing efforts. Indeed, they're much darker here than on any of their earlier efforts: "Hateful" is a deep, funky war song, while "Thin Ice" exhorts people to dance rather dangerously. Daníel Ágúst makes a welcome return as the main vocalist, as well. The extended grooves are a bit too extended, however, seeming to peter out in acid lines and dub effects around the halfway mark. Jimi Tenor's "Take Me Baby" gets a much shorter workout here, but if you consider how it segues into "Bremen Cowboy," it's almost another long track by itself. "Add This Song" continues this tradition: good, but perhaps overly long...

I have to disagree with the gushing praise from the previous reviewer. Impressive, stunning, edgy, brilliant, amazing? This album feels like an excuse for Kompakt to release a bunch of minimal from its artists; just look at the three remix singles. Gus Gus is always unique, I will give them that, but this trendy minimal/tech house sound does not suit them. All that dub delay in every track can't hide what is essentially mediocre dance music. What little "amazing sound tricks" I hear are totally overshadowed by uninteresting synth sounds and song structures.

Gus Gs vs. T-World was actually a great foray into the techno world - very believable, engaging and creative - but 24/7 completely lacks that impact. I suppose if you like minimal, especially with vocals, you'll like this, but I have to have more meat in my dance music.

Since they turned towards ear-splitting dance music with "Attention" in 2001, Gus Gus seem to feel quite comfortable in their own, real cool world. Both successors to "Attention" - "Forever" (2007) and the latest effort called "24/7" are no less different; this is edgy dance music to squeeze the body its last drop of sweat. However, while the group's newly established dance-phase remains technically brilliant and appealing, there is very little to relate to in terms of listening. Some find it reasonably disappointing, that such a creative force, once delivering an eclectic masterpiece called "Polydistortion", are now slaves to their own self-indulgence, imprisoned in the dancefloor frame.

If only the songs were half as short, the effect would be way more impressive. This way, it more tires than fascinates - most of the album kicks off to great effect but halfway down, it becomes just tedious exercise.